The big house mentality is evident when you tell someone about the tiny living movement, and they give you a blank stare. No matter how much you explain the advantages, they don’t get it. And they probably never will.
I brought up the subject of the tiny living movement to a friend while I was at his and his wife’s (3,000 sq.) house for dinner. I was excited to tell him about a new interest I was passionate about.
I enthusiastically discussed the tiny living movement and explained all its advantages and motivations. My thoughtful friend tried to listen and understand. His struggle to grasp the concept and maintain his interest was evident as I spoke. I felt that his polite comments were insincere.
Tiny green living & stone faces
He couldn’t understand living in a small house, driving a small car, or doing anything else small. This wasn’t surprising to me since he and his wife don’t recycle anything, even though their trash collection service provides nice recycling baskets and a twice-weekly pickup. I believe green living goes hand in hand with tiny living. I just can’t imagine a person who is into tiny living but not green living. It would be like a vegan gardener who is not into organic gardening.
I guess it’s like anything else. It’s improbable that you can convince a person of something foreign to them, especially when you have basic philosophical differences. You can only plant a seed, which may germinate or lie dormant indefinitely.
I wasn’t trying to persuade my friend to join me in this lifestyle. But since tiny living is an important part of my life, I hoped he would at least acknowledge its value and benefits. He never did. After much discussion and knowing their history, it became clear to me that he and his wife have a non-negotiable big house mentality.
He didn’t show much true interest in tiny living. He probably saw it as a topic that would draw little public interest, although he would never say that to me. I hope he doesn’t ask me about it in the future, just to be polite. I don’t enjoy talking to stone faces.
I’m not upset with my friend or his wife in any way. Although we have grown in different directions in several key areas in recent years, we still have enough in common to sustain our friendship.
Lesson learned
Don’t waste your energy sharing your excitement about tiny living with people you know in your heart will not relate to it. The same goes for anyone who shows little interest if you bring up the topic. For some, it would probably take a lobotomy to change their big house mentality. So don’t waste your time. Build a small house instead.
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It took quite a while for energy-efficient appliances, renewable energy, and fuel-efficient vehicles to become popular and mainstream. I think it’s going to be the same for tiny living. There will probably be a gradual transition from 3,000-square-foot houses to 2,000, then settling in the 500 to 1,500 range. At least that’s my guess now. Any significant decrease in house size will benefit homeowners and the environment, though.
Although I mentioned several times in this article how small houses help the environment, I want to reiterate the huge advantages for the homeowner. The benefits to the homeowner are reduced expenses, increased savings, and freedom! The amount of each is proportional to the size of the house.
I’d love to build a micro mansion in a Beverly Hills-type community. Wouldn’t that cause a ruckus? It would be an amazing contradiction to observe since it’s usually the building of an enormous mansion that gets the neighbor’s competitive juices stirred up. I’d probably be called the “Beverly Tinybilly.” I’d enjoy every micro-second of it. 😀